Afghanistan From The — Cold War Through The War O...

The vacuum left by the Soviet withdrawal led to further chaos.

After a decade of stalemate and heavy losses—often called "the Soviet Union's Vietnam"—the last Soviet troops withdrew in February 1989. Civil War and the Rise of the Taliban (1989–2001) Afghanistan from the Cold War through the War o...

The Soviet Union invaded on December 24, 1979, to support a struggling pro-communist regime and prevent the spread of Islamic fundamentalism near its borders. The vacuum left by the Soviet withdrawal led

Local guerrilla fighters, known as Mujahideen , launched a "jihad" against the occupiers. They received significant covert support, including advanced weaponry like Stinger missiles, from the United States (via Operation Cyclone ), Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. known as Mujahideen